Laws Bring Movers Under Control

July 17, 1994

Florida's Legislature failed to control moving companies who gouge their customers, so three South Florida county governments are acting on their own. Broward and Dade county commissions both passed stiff regulatory laws this week, and Palm Beach County is expected to follow suit next month.

The laws are fair and badly needed. They mandate several steps to protect consumers from predatory moving companies.

Movers must register with the county and provide written estimates of how much a move will cost. The final bill cannot increase more than 10 percent over the estimate.

Customers must be given at least two ways to pay the bill: credit card or personal check. This will end the "cash only" businesses in the moving industry here.

An inventory of all items shipped must be made by the mover, and complaints will be reviewed by a consumer board. In an especially important step, the laws prohibit movers from holding customers' furniture hostage until the bill is paid.

This is a common practice for some unscrupulous movers, coupled with doubling or tripling the price. They refuse to unload the truck, and threaten to store the furniture at steep rents, unless the customer comes up with a bundle of cash on the spot.

These unconscionable practices, pointed out in Sun-Sentinel articles, led the Legislature to consider a bill to regulate movers statewide. Moves across state lines already are regulated by the Interstate Commerce Commission.

After the Legislature stumbled, the three South Florida counties worked together to fashion their own rules. This unusual and welcome regional cooperation is culminating in protection for moves in the three-county area.

Obviously, there's still work to be done by the Legislature to cover all of Florida. Anyone who moves from South Florida to Orlando, Gainesville or any other place in the state won't be covered by these new protections.

For now, though, two county comissions in South Florida have acted wisely and responsibly, and a third is expected to do so soon. The new laws represent a vast improvement in consumer protection.